Aw, Storm is a lucky boy! We don't have a pool, so I'll have to find something else for Barney to do for low-impact exercise. I think the training sessions are keeping his mind engaged, but we really do need to find a fun game for him

Hi again Barneys mom.

You don't have to do physical exercise to wear them out.

Try some training exercises to tire the brain out a bit sometimes this sort of exercsie is a bit better for them than physical exercise all the time.

You can do it in the garden quite easily for example you could train sit, stay, down, heel and then do timed stays etc., and maybe at the end have a little game of something with a ball.

Keep it all a game though don't make it a serious training exercise have fun doing it and I am sure he will benefit from a little bit of fun training as well as getting some mental exercise and feeling tired after it.

Hi again

We do quite a bit of training outside and inside - this week we're working more with "come" and starting to work on "heel", though we'll fall back on lots of sits and stays so that we can end on a good note! He loves the "puppy ping pong" game of running from one of us to the other when called, so that gives him a little physical and mental exercise that he seems to enjoy.

He has no interest in the ball, though LOL - he just watches it bounce across the yard and then looks at us like "Are you going to pick that up? Oh, hey, grass!"

Sounds ideal and plenty of choice to keep him mentally and physically tired.

Gabby is 3 months old and she loves to watch other dogs fetch. Its like she's watching a tennis game!

I bought a ball for her tonight that you fill with kibble or treats. When she rolls the ball a treat will fall out. She loved this and it kept her busy for a good 15 minutes.

We walk for about 20 minutes a night...never a solid 20 minutes. Puppies and especially Bernese puppies attract a lot of attention and we are constantly stopping to talk to people. She is really good about sitting on my feet and waiting patiently.

I've noticed that whenever she's had enough...she just sits down...like a mule.

Someone mentioned that their dog's eyes get red when they are tired. I've noticed that with Gabby too and that's my cue to sit down and relax so she can have a nap.

Really informative thread, thank you for all the input! I too notice the red in Bailey's eyes when she's tired.

One thing we found that she really loves to play with is a soccer ball! The really hard ones that she can't grab onto...yet, but she tries. She'll chase it and try to hold it down with her mouth so I cant kick it from her until she passes out.

Another thing we found she really likes is a tennis/softball in a sock. She won't really fetch it but she likes to toss it around the yard on her own sometimes.

I'm glad to hear about the 5 minute rule, I can up her walks now. We were only going around our block because I was so worried about over-working her. Most times I found she wanted more but I wouldn't let her.....I guess she knows best.

A 30-40min walk everyday with a minimum of 3x a week will surely get your dog fit and healthy.

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Bernese Mountain dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, filling an emptiness we don't even know we have.